Wanted Poster
by Avaloner
Summary: When Gwaine proposes a Variety Show, everyone surprises everyone by revealing their secret talents. Everyone except Arthur, that is, until Sir Leon declares he knows what it is which Arthur is quick to deny. And that's how the Wanted Poster comes about.


**AN: Set in season 4 when Arthur is king.**

* * *

The Variety Show had been Sir Gwaine's idea. Possibly a drunken one, but no one questioned that afterward. Everyone was too busy getting out their secret talents and practicing them. The show was to be a part of the upcoming banquet.

Arthur was amused when he heard of the preparations but otherwise didn't quite catch the buzz of excitement that Merlin and the others had. At any rate he had no acts prepared. He was too busy and too practical to have a secret talent. So he did not stop when he heard a strum of lute strings, a quiet, gentle melody spilling out into the hallway as he passed by. Not until he heard a woman's voice in song, a familiar voice in a pretty love song. His boots stopped slapping stone and took a couple of backward steps. His eyes caught Gwen, Merlin and a pair of the court musicians when he leaned his head towards the open doorway. Gwen ended the note and gave into a laugh. As did Merlin, putting aside a lute.

A smile crept across Arthur's lips. This Variety Show might not be such a bad idea.

* * *

The night of the banquet had arrived, and after the court musicians performed a couple of their songs, it was time for the Variety Show. First up was Sir Gwaine. He might as well pay for his idea. Turned out he had a talent other than eating the most sausages (though Perceval had won that competition earlier in the night). He presented a riddle: 'What is something that a pirate has two of, but only needs one of them to say "yes"?'

Gwaine managed to make them laugh with his banter in between the riddles. 'An aye!' he revealed finally in perfect Pirate-speak.

'Did he make them up himself?' Leon asked Elyan next to him while clapping the act.

'Think it was actually a comedy act,' said Elyan.

Next, Perceval got up and looked around nervously. 'Hello. It's a little tune my grandfather taught me.'

The audience glanced at his hands clasped behind his back, expecting an instrument. But he didn't need one. He whistled a folk song in perfect melody, earning a loud applause and high cheers.

Leon went to the front when his name was announced. He also brought two puppets with him. The two characters in his hands exchanged the most mundane of dialogue, but Leon's voices were hilarious. One moment he was a comically sullen man, then a nasally old crone, making the audience nearly red with laughter.

'Your turn.' Leon clapped Elyan on the shoulder, returning to his seat. Elyan grabbed a lute from the musicians and played a short piece.

When he returned, Arthur said with a smile, 'Didn't know you had a musical side.'

'Yeah, our family sort of does.' Elyan returned the smile and looked to Gwen who now walked over to the front.

Arthur sat up straighter in his chair and watched her and Merlin take their sits on the stools provided. He narrowed his eyes at Merlin propping a lute against his lap. He had heard _Merlin_ play the other day along with Gwen? And here he expected his servant's secret talent to be more juggling.

Merlin started playing the lute, quite expertly too and looked up at Gwen with a smile. That was her cue to start the song.

It was the love song Arthur heard her practicing. She sounded even better now, her voice gentle and sweet and a touch mournful at the same time. He watched her as she swayed slightly with the rhythm of the song. He caught the scatter of tiny white flowers in her hair, her neatly clasped fingers and her eyes lost across the room as she sang.

He swallowed and raised a goblet to his lips to hide the glow on his cheeks.

And then he almost spluttered the drink. The next verse was picked up by Merlin.

Arthur's eyes widened. Merlin kept perfectly in tune, his voice more moody than his usual cheery tone, more mature. His manservant could sing. Wonders never ceased.

The end of the duet was followed by applause and cheers, Gwen and Merlin smiling at each other. Arthur smiled too, clapping heartily. Though, a tiny ring of jealousy passed through him. He wished he shared _something_ with Gwen. And then her smile was directed at him and he realised he did.

* * *

They were all buzzing with commentary on each other's performances, standing around with drinks and food.

'Didn't see that coming from you,' someone commented. Someone else inserted, 'Hey, what's Arthur's secret talent?'

'Oh that's easy,' answered Merlin. 'Throwing things at Merlin. Or was it ordering him around? I forget.'

'And comedy,' said Arthur, 'sure isn't one of your talents.'

That sent up some chuckles.

'Perhaps not,' said Merlin. 'At least not when you're not around to make a fool of yourself.'

The others laughed. 'Hah, a double act,' someone commented.

Then Sir Leon spoke. 'I know what Arthur's secret talent is.'

All eyes turned to him.

'He's good at drawing.'

Instantly, Arthur's brows knitted. 'What?'

'Yes, you are,' Leon continued. 'Your maps are meticulous.'

There were some nods around the circle from the other knights.

'Only because they have to be. Because the _missions_ depend on it.' Arthur took a drink out of his goblet.

'Well, let's have a look at one,' said Gwen, turning to him. She was curious about what the knights were on about.

'Fine.' Arthur tilted his head. 'Merlin!'

A moment later Merlin returned from Arthur's chamber, a trio of rolled up parchment bundled in his arms.

Gwen unrolled the first, the boys crowding around her. 'Oh, it is. It's-'

'Neat,' Arthur finished proudly.

'Pretty, I was going to say.'

Arthur made a grimace, eyeing his work over Gwen's shoulder.

'I like the waterfall,' added Perceval. The coloured map had a tiny, detailed waterfall above the words 'Castlereign Falls', complete with rapids swirling around rocks.

'Yeah,' Merlin agreed. 'I didn't know you're the one who drew them.'

'Because I'm in charge of the missions,' Arthur said, emphasising the last word. 'These are nothing more than detailed information.'

'Yeah, but look at the sea monster,' Leon added.

'Is that real?' Gwen asked.

'No, it's meant to be a symbol to mark uncharted waters,' Leon explained. 'But look at Arthur's one, all the tentacles are shaded in nicely to make it realistic.'

'I like its face,' said Perceval. 'It looks fierce.'

'Hey,' said Elyan, 'can you draw _us_?'

'Yeah,' joined Gwaine. 'The court artist did not do justice to the hair...'

'I would,' said Arthur, 'if I actually did draw and paint for fun. Which I don't.' Who has time to do frippery, romantic things like that?

The knights called over one another: 'Yeah, right.' 'Boring!'

Merlin just looked across the hall, a sneaky smile on his face. He was going to catch Arthur in the act.

* * *

'Hah, you _are_ good at drawing!'

Arthur jumped at Merlin's voice and made an unintentional scratch on the paper with his pencil stick. He looked up at Merlin standing next to his table. 'This, Merlin, is a rogue creature we need to find. Its sighting was reported on the border of the Fairy Glen village.' He resumed shading the three-eyed centaur-looking animal. 'I'm merely making a visual record based on the witness report.'

'Right, right.' Merlin tilted his head at the full-page drawing. 'It's really dedicated. I mean, your shading is really good. And the mane –it's like I can touch his coarse hair.'

'That's enough, Merlin. Get back to work.'

Two days later, Merlin made Arthur jump again. 'That's a really nice forest.'

'It's not a forest, Merlin.' Arthur went back to painting a patch of trees on a map with a fine brush. 'It's a grove. That's different to a forest on a map. See, that's why you need to include details, to differentiate.'

The third time, Arthur really was in a bind.

Merlin's voice rose in excited pitch when he caught Arthur's sketch. 'You're drawing Gwen!'

Arthur's hand went still, his pencil frozen on a half-finished curl of hair. 'No I'm not.'

'Yes, you are!' Merlin smiled, leaning over Arthur to take a closer look.

There was no hiding it. Merlin had already seen the full-page drawing. 'It's not Guinevere. It's...' Arthur looked at the picture of the woman he drew, her face turned a quarter, looking across, as if lost in thought. Or song. Her long curls flowing down behind her, some draped over her shoulder. 'It's a... A Wanted poster.'

He looked up at Merlin with a straight face and received a decidedly raised eyebrow.

'A Wanted poster?'

'That's right.'

'Then how come it has no heading?'

'I just need to add it.' Arthur gritted his teeth and sketched a large 'W' at the top of the drawing. At Merlin's continued staring, he swiftly shaded the letter and began the 'A' and 'N', the lettering neat and straight.

Merlin snorted. 'And what is she wanted for, exactly?'

'She's ah...'

'Wanted for stealing the king's heart?' Merlin started chuckling at his own joke.

'ShutUpMerlin!'

Merlin decided to move off and caught Arthur shading the woman's hair again. He called back, 'It says _WAN_. You still need to add the _TED_.'

Arthur begrudgingly began working on the 'T'.

* * *

Merlin found Arthur walking up to Gwen in the hallway with a rolled up parchment. He hid behind a pillar as Gwen unrolled the paper.

'I drew this for you,' said Arthur.

Gwen's eyes widened at the picture. A picture of her. 'This is...' She looked up into his eyes. 'It's beautiful, Arthur.'

Arthur took a step closer, hands clasped casually at his back. 'It's a Wanted poster.' He smiled a mysterious smile.

Gwen tilted her head awkwardly at the drawing. 'Yeah, I was wondering about that bit.'

'Aren't you going to ask me what she is wanted for?'

She grinned. 'What?'

'For stealing the king's heart,' he said in a low, playful voice before stepping back.

Guinevere burst into a giggle. It made Arthur grin too.

'I'll make sure to hand myself in as soon as I can, then.'

'You do that.' Arthur narrowed his eyes and nodded before going on his way, a smile still etched on both their faces.

A second later, someone almost crashed into Arthur. 'You stole my line.'

'Merlin, you have to learn the habit of not sneaking up on people.'

'You're not going to admit I gave you the idea?'

'The Wanted poster was my idea.'

Merlin wasn't silent for long. 'Right. But now have to admit, you do like drawing.'

Arthur said nothing, just smiled at the door up ahead.

* * *

**AN: Had this on my mind since the Merlin Advent Calendar video about Bradley's art skills. So let's pretend Arthur has them too! Also, I believe Colin and Angel have also had musical roles outside of Merlin. **


End file.
